Tomorrow Starts With You
by McDrmysGrl06
Summary: The final installment following Promise of a New Day and New Beginnings. For all of you MerDer fans, you'll want to read this to find out what happens between our two favorite characters after the events in the first two installments. Don't miss it!


Author's Note: This is the final installment of the 3-part series I have written. Please read "Promise of a New Day" and "New Beginnings" before attempting this one…otherwise you might get a bit lost! To those of you who have commented and reviewed my writing thus far, thank you so very much. It has been my pleasure to bring you this Mer/Der fluff that we all love and miss so much on the show! I will be graduating med school and beginning internship myself in just a few weeks, so this may be the last of my fanfic for awhile. Please let me know what you think, however, and if you have any ideas for future stories. Enjoy! --McDrmysGrl06

**Chapter 1 **

Meredith Grey set her lunch tray down next to Izzie's. She looked forward to this time each and every day, the time when she could set aside all of the patients with unrelenting abdominal pain and postoperative fevers and concentrate on life, _real _life, and talk to her friends like all of the other _real_ people in the world did on a daily basis. "So, I've got this patient in 2415 who will _not_ stop asking me questions. _Stupid_…questions. It was all I could do to tear myself away long enough so that I could inhale _something_ resembling lunch." In between words she began stuffing french fries into her mouth, making her speech somewhat jumbled. Izzie just shook her head, wondering how Meredith made it through most days as a surgical intern.

"Life's a bitch, ain't it?" Meredith looked up and saw that the voice belonged to Cristina who was coming full-steam ahead, practically throwing her tray on the table. "God!" she exclaimed. "You think_ you_ have it bad? Bailey's got me working down in the pit and now I have _no_ chance whatsoever of seeing the inside of an O.R. at all today. This is just _so_ typical of her." She threw her hands up in the air emphatically before shoving a peanut butter cookie into her mouth.

"So," Izzie started in, clearly uncomfortable that she was having the best day amongst the three of them. "Did Meredith tell you about McDreamy and his McDream house?" With a big smile on her face, she nudged Meredith with her elbow, silently asking her to elaborate.

Meredith rolled her eyes upward in a state of pure impatience. "Izzie," she began, giving her friend a look that told her that she should've kept her mouth shut.

"Oh no no no no, Meredith. You are _not_ even going to try and back outta this one." Cristina grabbed Meredith's arm. "There are no secrets amongst friends." She shoved the rest of the cookie in her mouth, grabbing her Diet Coke to wash it down.

"Well, it wasn't like I was gonna keep it a secret forever. I just… I just didn't know when would be a good time to tell everyone." Meredith was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She didn't know how her friends and colleagues would react to the news that she and McDreamy were beginning to date again, let alone the fact that they were planning on moving in together.

This time it was Cristina's turn to roll her eyes. "Gimme a break, Mer. You don't think that _everyone_ knows that you and McDreamy are an item again? Seriously. It's so freakin' obvious. Addison has left the building and you don't just look at people like he looks at you. You might think you're hiding something but you're not. You're _definitely_ not." She flipped her curly black hair over her shoulder, digging into cookie number two.

"Okay, okay" Meredith stated, admitting defeat. "So yeah. Derek is building his dream house and he wants me to move in with him once it's finished. That's it. That's all there is to say. I mean…you already knew we were seeing each other again so I thought I could skip that part."

"Isn't this wonderful?" Izzie clasped her hands together for effect and looked excitedly from Meredith to Cristina and then back to Meredith again. "And she said yes!"

"Holy…crap!" Cristina exclaimed, practically choking on her cookie. "He sure didn't waste any time. Are you guys gonna get married or what?"

Standing up abruptly from the table Meredith defensively yelled, "What is _with_ you guys? Do we have to be _engaged_ just because we're living together? I mean, why do I have to have a ring on my finger for this to be okay?" She grabbed her tray and stormed off, leaving Izzie and Cristina at the table with bewildered looks on their faces.

"Damn," Cristina muttered. "What in the heck is up her butt?"

"I never should have brought it up. I feel badly because when Mer told me last night I asked her the same thing. I guess Derek never mentioned it and she hadn't thought about it. I just think she deserves a firm commitment from him, that's all." Izzie shook her head, feeling guilty.

"Don't worry about it. She needs to put her big girl panties on and deal with it." Cristina looked at Izzie, shrugging her shoulders.

"Hey what did you guys say to Grey? She looks totally pissed off." Alex seemingly appeared from out of nowhere and took a seat next to Izzie, stirring one of his protein shakes and smiling a smile that meant he was either looking for some good gossip to spread or that he had just caused big-time trouble.

"Shut up, Alex" Izzie said, standing up from the table and giving him a death glare. "See you later, Cristina."

"Later…" said Cristina as Izzie walked away, leaving both she and Alex behind. Glancing at Alex she quipped, "Don't ask me. I plead the 5th. You're _all_ crazy."

Meredith dumped her tray off and was heading to the resident lounge when Derek suddenly cornered her. "Hey you. Are you alright?" He brought up a hand to cradle her face. Meredith sighed, closing her eyes and reveling in his warm touch. When she opened them, she saw a very concerned Derek, his eyes questioning her sullen face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. "Just one of those days, you know?" She forced a small smile for him; it was impossible for her not to for he always made her feel so calm and complete. Derek glanced around the hallway before grabbing her hand and leading her to a storage supply closet around the corner. Shutting the door and turning on the light, he turned to face her.

"So are you gonna tell me the truth, Mer?" His voice was soft and non-threatening. He moved toward her and fully embraced her. She buried her head in his chest and he rested his cheek on top of her head. "You can trust me, Mer. I promise." He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.

Pulling away from him slightly and looking deeply into his eyes Meredith whispered, "I…I just need to know that you're going to be there, Derek. That you're going to be there for me. I feel like everyone is questioning that and it's making me start to question it too, as much as I don't want to."

Derek shook his head, looking down at the floor before grasping both of her shoulders with his strong hands. "Meredith, I don't know who or what gave you the impression that I'm going anywhere, because I'm not. I'm not leaving unless you're coming with me. You are the reason I'm here and I intend to stay…for as long as you'll let me. I love you Mer, and I am not going to let anyone or anything interfere with that. And _that,_ Dr. Grey, is my promise." He raised her chin to meet his eyes, placing his lips on hers for a slow and tender kiss.

Meredith sighed, closing her eyes and feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She already knew what he would say, but there was just something about hearing him say it aloud that made her feel so much better. She didn't need a ring on her finger or an elaborate proposal. She knew that he wouldn't lie to her and that was all she needed for the time being. "I love you too." She smiled up at him, a real smile this time before saying, "I should probably get going. Bailey will have my head if I'm not up on the floor."

Derek smiled at her, placing one more kiss on her forehead. "I'm off at 6 tonight. Let's go for a walk and get your mind off things, okay?"

"Sounds good," Meredith said making her way out of the storage closet with Derek in tow.

"I'll call you later. Keep your chin up." Derek winked at her and giving her one of his McDreamy smiles, started walking toward the ICU for a follow-up.

Meredith turned around hurriedly and much to her dismay, ran right into the Chief. "Dr. Grey…why how nice to see you and Dr. Shepherd talking to each other again." He raised his eyebrows at her, daring her to comment on his observation. It was obvious that he had seen the two of them exit the supply closet together and even more obvious that he had seen Derek wink at her.

"Sir?" Meredith said nervously. "I've, uh, I've got a consult upstairs so I have to run." She couldn't look him in the eye and she didn't wait for his response. Instead, she grabbed the nearest elevator and pressing 4, she waited until the doors closed before sliding herself down to the floor. "So much for my McLuck," she thought.

**Chapter 2**

Derek was in the midst of reviewing his patient's CT scan, looking for any remaining evidence of the subarachnoid bleed that he had evacuated yesterday, when Webber approached him. "Shepherd, when you're finished here stop by my office. We need to talk." The look on his face told Derek that he meant business.

Incredulously Derek replied, "Sure, Chief. Is everything okay?"

"I hope so." He stalked off toward the administration wing leaving a puzzled Derek in his wake.

Moments later, Richard Webber heard a knock at his door. "Come in," he barked, setting aside the paperwork that he never seemed to have a moment to catch up on. Seeing Derek walk through the door, he motioned for him to take a seat on the opposite side of the desk. Derek opened his mouth to speak but was beat to the punch by the Chief. "Shepherd, when were you planning on telling me about Grey?" He lounged back in his chair clasping his hands behind his head, staring at Derek.

"Excuse me?" Derek was caught off-guard. He had been running through this scenario over and over again in his head throughout the last couple of weeks. He had wanted to tell Webber because he disliked the idea of sneaking around, however, this isn't how he pictured it to happen. Then it dawned on him. Webber had seen them exit the storage closet together and his suspicion had been raised.

"I think you know damn well what I'm referring to Derek." Webber leaned forward, staring intensely at him. "Now listen to me. You're newly divorced and you know that it's against the rules of this establishment to date an intern. Grey is good but she is fragile and I depend upon those interns to keep this service up and running. I won't tolerate you messing around with her head again…"

This time it was Derek's turn to interrupt Webber. "Richard, if I may…"

"Dr. Shepherd, I _don't_ think that I was finished yet. I moved you out here from Manhattan because you are one of the finest damn neurosurgeons in the country. You are on track for becoming Chief of Surgery and I'd hate to see the position go to Burke by default. Don't screw this up for yourself, Derek."

"I'm gonna ask her to marry me, Richard." It was obvious to Derek that he wasn't going to get a chance to explain himself, so he decided to come right out with it and suffer the consequences, whatever they may be.

"Excuse me? You're _what_?" Webber looked like he had just seen a ghost.

Without hesistation, Derek continued. "I'm gonna ask her to marry me. I am in love with Meredith and have been ever since I first met her, before I knew that she was my intern and I was her attending. My coming out here was the final straw between Addison and I and yeah, I know that I'm newly divorced but I've been in love for a long time. And if you can't accept that, don't want to accept that, or refuse to accept that, that's the chance I've gotta take. I'd love to be Chief, Webber, but Meredith means more to me than a title."

"Well…" Webber began, sighing and then clearing his throat. He sat in silence for what seemed to Derek like an eternity, pondering what he had just heard, what Derek had just confessed. "When do you suppose this will all take place?"

Derek smiled cautiously, hoping he had won Webber over. "It's still in the planning stages, but it'll be special and I don't think she's expecting it at all."

"Do you think she'll say 'yes'?" Webber gave Derek a half smile.

Chuckling, Derek responded, "Well, that's a great question. I sure do hope so."

"Dr. Shepherd, you know that I can't prohibit you from living your life and that I can't make your decisions for you. I just urge you to think this through, and whatever you do, please don't let it interfere with yours or Grey's career plans. You're both too valuable to this service."

"Richard, thanks a lot and for the record, I _have _thought this through. Trust me. I'm just sorry that this had to come to light because of what happened today. I was planning on telling you…in time."

"Well, I guess _I_ should be thankful because you're back to the guy you were_ before_ Addison came to Seattle. Maybe Grey does have a good effect on you." He smiled, playfully punching Derek in the arm.

"Love will do that to you, Chief." He stood up and walked toward the door before Richard stopped him.

"And Shepherd…?"

"Yeah?" Derek turned around after he was halfway out the door.

"Good luck with that." Webber shook his head.

Derek laughed. "Thanks, Richard. I may need it." He pulled the door closed behind him breathing a huge sigh of relief. He couldn't believe how amenable Webber had been to the idea of he and Meredith as a couple, but he knew what a sucker the Chief was for honesty. That was all Derek had wanted to do, to be honest with Richard and make sure that his intentions were known. He didn't see how Meredith could be anything _but_ good for his career. She made him want to excel in every area of his life.

Turning the corner and beginning to head off to the surgical scheduling board, he saw Meredith walking straight toward him, a big smile on her face. "And where have _you_ been, Dr. Shepherd? Your patient is ready for surgery and they were just about ready to page you."

Trying to maintain a sense of calm while neglecting to tell her that he'd spoken with Webber, he fibbed, "That patient in the ICU was a mess. It took me awhile to get everything together down there." He smiled at her. "But…everything is okay now, so…"

"So…have a good surgery," she said.

"You aren't gonna scrub in? This guy's got a huge aneurysm" he tempted, somewhat surprised that she'd miss out on a chance to assist.

"Nah. I'm playing hard-to-get." She winked at him and began walking away, a huge smile on her face.

Derek was left with his mouth hanging open. "Okay, well, then I guess I'll see you at 6." Meredith, now halfway down the hall, turned around and nodded. He just shook his head and knew that he couldn't wait to marry this amazing woman. In fact, he had never been surer of anything in his life.

**Chapter 3**

"Damn it," Derek muttered attempting to tie his necktie correctly for the umpteenth time that morning. It was only on very rare occasions that he decided to wear one and as soon as he had it on, he realized why that was. Scrubs were _so_ much more comfortable compared to stuffy old suits. But those stuffy old suits were a mainstay in Manhattan, as he was constantly jetsetting off to conferences all over the East Coast before making the decision to move to Seattle. Addison always made sure that he had the latest and greatest and while she did have good taste, the thought of it and the thought of _her_ made him frown. Instead, he pictured Meredith in one of his dress shirts sitting on the bathroom counter tying the necktie for him, helping him get ready for work while she had the day off. He loved it when she wore his dress shirts. Derek sighed, realizing that that wasn't reality…yet.

When he had finally gotten it right, he grabbed his suit coat and stood in front of the full-length mirror hardly recognizing the man that was staring back at him. He smiled. Today was a special day. Webber, Bailey, Meredith, and all the rest of the hospital staff were told that he had "personal appointments" to take care of this morning. It wasn't a complete lie. The appointment Derek had made _was_ personal, it just wasn't necessarily for himself.

Grabbing his briefcase, he jumped in the car and made it to the highway, driving in the direction of downtown Seattle. Derek had made an appointment to meet with one of Tiffany and Company's gemologists to discuss engagement rings. While he had made every attempt to leave his materialistic ways in the past, he knew that this was not something that he wanted to do on a budget. Meredith deserved the very best and he wanted to give it to her, whatever the cost.

Avoiding the valet service and parking his car for himself, Derek walked into the store and immediately felt all eyes upon him. A young and attractive blonde woman strolled toward the door, only too eager to greet him. She made it no secret to anyone in the store that she was bound and determined to help _this_ customer out with whatever it was that he needed. "Welcome to Tiffany's," she said, batting her eyelashes up at Derek. Glancing down at his wrist she said, "I see that you have one of our originals. Are you here for a repair?"

Smiling, Derek replied, "Well I'm here for two things, actually. First, I'd _love_ to be able to get rid of this watch and second, I have an appointment with the gemologist at 10:30. I'm choosing an engagement ring this morning." He loved the way it sounded and moreover, he loved thinking about placing a ring on Meredith's finger.

The young woman's eyebrows furrowed and her mouth turned into a small frown. "Oh…I see," she stated, much more coldly than she had been at first. "I'll check and make sure that Michael is available. May I tell him your name?"

"Yes. You can tell him that Derek Shepherd is here to see him. And…thank you."

She started toward the back of the store, leaving Derek to peruse the merchandise at his leisure. It had been such a long time since he had set foot in a jewelry store, let alone one as distinguished as Tiffany's. He was bent over peering at necklaces in a showcase when he heard a man's voice bellow. "Dr. Shepherd. Hello and welcome to Tiffany and Company. I'm Michael Vincent, the gemologist on staff here today. Are you ready?"

Derek turned around and smiled, grasping the gentleman's hand in a firm handshake. "Please, call me Derek. And yes, I'm ready. More ready than I've ever been."

A couple of hours later, after an exhausting discussion on diamond selection and a preview of all of the various Tiffany engagement ring settings, Derek selected a 3-carat princess cut diamond in an antique platinum setting. It was absolutely beautiful and a perfect match for Meredith. She was so small that he didn't want to choose something that would inevitably dwarf her tiny hands and she was much more classic than a lot of the flashy, diamond encrusted bands that they had showed him. As soon as he saw this ring, he knew that it would be perfect for her.

Once Derek was back inside of his car, the tiny aqua blue bag resting on the seat next to him, he sighed and pressed his head into the headrest, closing his eyes. For the first time in a long time, he felt nervous. This was it. He had purchased the ring and now he had to make sure that she'd accept his proposal. He had thought about this since they had first met but so much had happened over the course of the last year. Would she question his sincerity? Would she claim that he was trying to move too quickly? Would she worry that he'd fall out of love with her? It was next to impossible for the latter to happen, he thought. If only he could show her how much she meant to him.

He put the car into reverse and headed off towards home, preparing to change from the professional, expensive-ring-buying guy in a stuffy old suit back into the clothes that made him feel like the person that he really was. He knew that Webber was right. He _was_ a different person without Addison and it took him moving across the country and meeting the woman of his dreams to make him realize just how unhappy he had been over the past 11 years. He just hoped that Meredith could understand that and make him the happiest he has ever been by accepting his hand in marriage.

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**Chapter 4**

It was 7:00 on a windy Seattle evening as Meredith made her way to Joe's after a long days work. Derek had to stay behind to help stabilize a comatose patient that had been brought into the Emergency Room following an MVA but promised to catch up with her as soon as he could sneak away. As she entered the bar, she glanced around searching for familiar faces. It had been such a long time since she and the other interns were all able to meet up here after work. Over the past few weeks, the call schedule and the patient load became almost too much for them to bear and she now realized what a strain it was on their so-called "social lives." She was only too thankful to have this evening off before she was on call again tomorrow night.

"Hey Meredith!" Joe shouted sounding surprised to see her. "You aren't _alone_ tonight, are you?" He raised his eyebrows at her, as if to give her the go-ahead if she should need to spill her guts about yet another heartbreak. Whether he liked it or not, Joe had become roped in to the ups and downs of life as a surgical intern at Seattle Grace. He had become a counselor of sorts for the entire group, allowing them to drown their sorrows in Jose Cuervo or whatever their poison of choice may be. He was just about to grab a shot glass and the Cuervo but Meredith stopped him.

"Hello Joe. And no…I'm not exactly alone tonight so there's no need for the Cuervo." She smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed that he knew exactly what _her_ poison of choice was.

"Well, well, well. Is that so? You and McDreamy back on again? I heard that Addison left town." He lowered his voice when he mentioned Addison's name as if he had a big piece of gossip that was intended for Meredith's ears only.

"Yes, you heard right, Joe. Addison _did_ leave town and _yes_, Derek and I are seeing each other again…but we're taking it very slow-ly." Meredith dragged out that last word for emphasis, making sure that both she _and_ Joe knew where things stood.

"Uh-huh," he said somewhat sarcastically. "Well, I guess that's good news. I always knew you two were perfect for each other. I mean, geez, just the way the guy stares at you. Good stuff."

Meredith blushed slightly, leaning forward and whispering, "Well, I've got some more gossip. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure. When could I turn down a good piece of gossip from one of my favorite customers? He smiled, letting Meredith know that whatever she told him would be kept under wraps.

"He asked me to move in with him, Joe. He's building this fantastic house and wants me to move in with him and I said 'yes.' Whaddya think?"

Joe looked surprised and took a deep breath before he commented. "Well, so much for taking it slow-ly," he mocked. Laughing, he continued. "No, but in all seriousness, that's great. I mean, it's a huge step but I'm sure the two of you have thought this through. Wait a second…you two aren't getting hitched, are you?" An all-knowing smile began to develop on his face but the reaction he got from Meredith wasn't what he expected.

Raising one eyebrow at him, Meredith said, "Okay, _now_ you can pour me some of that Cuervo." Her voice sounded tired and aggravated, leaving Joe feeling helpless and unsure what it was that set her off.

"Wait, Meredith…what did I say?" Joe threw his hands up in the air. "What did I do wrong?"

Sighing, Meredith laid it all out for him. "I'm sorry Joe, it's not you. It's everyone. Everyone keeps asking me if Derek and I are getting married and when I tell them the truth and tell them that we haven't discussed it, everyone looks at me like I've grown a third head. Does anyone think that he just got divorced and maybe he's not ready? Or better yet, what if _I'm_ not ready yet? We're comfortable with where we're at right now and…" Meredith kept rambling, not realizing that Derek had come in at the tail end of her monologue. Joe tried his best to motion to her but she was so wrapped up in her speech that she failed to notice until she heard Derek's voice.

"Hey gorgeous. Please tell me that you're not going for the tequila shots tonight. I thought we had a _good_ day today." He approached her with a big grin on his face, stopping behind her to place a tender kiss on her neck.

Damn him, Meredith thought. Damn him, damn him, damn him. He always knew what to say and what to do and it drove her crazy. Smiling and feeling happy to see him, she replied "We _did_ have a good day today but bad habits are hard to break, right Joe?" She gave him a glance that told him that their conversation was pretty much over…at least for tonight.

"Hi Joe," Derek said. "You weren't really going to give her that Cuervo, were you?" He laughed a little and said, "We'll each take a gin and tonic." Grabbing Meredith's hand he led her to a table not too far away from the bar.

"You got it!" Joe yelled back. He winked at Meredith, letting her know that he understood her plight and that she needn't worry.

When they arrived at the table, Derek took both of her hands in his and said, "I don't know what you two were talking about but you sounded pretty emotional when I got here. Is everything okay?" He brushed his thumbs across the tops of her hands, gazing at her with his deep and meaningful eyes. Joe brought both drinks to the table, each of them giving him a nod of thanks.

Feeling slightly guilty Meredith sighed, tightening her grip on Derek's hands. "I don't know. I guess I've just been overly sensitive and emotional lately. Everything is getting to me. Bailey's getting to me, the patients are getting to me, the call schedule is getting to me. I just… I just feel the need for a breath of fresh air, you know?"

"Are '**_we_**' getting to you, Mer?" Derek asked hesitantly, somewhat afraid that she would tell him that she needed to stop seeing him for awhile, to have some time on her own to explore uncharted territory. He reached out to touch her face with his hand.

His touch sent chills down Meredith's spine. It was magical. "No, Derek. Of course not. You…'**_we_**,' are fine. I just wish that we had more time for each other. Life gets so crazy and I don't want that dragging us apart. I don't want to miss out on _learning_ you." She leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips when she saw just how worried he looked.

"It won't drag us apart if we don't let it." Derek smiled at her. "Mer, I feel the same way sometimes but then I see you and it's as if all of my worries just go away. This is _right_ and I don't know how else to express that, but it's just a feeling and unlike what I said to you before, it won't pass...ever." He was grinning now and motioned for her to take a sip. "Enjoy this, Mer. Relax. You deserve it." It was times like these when he just wanted to pull the ring out and surprise her, but he knew better. It was so difficult, keeping this to himself, but he knew that when it was time it would be _special_, very special.

Several drinks later, Meredith was doing just what Derek had instructed her to do, _relax_. She had that goofy grin on her face that Derek loved and she was carrying on conversation like it was going out-of-style. She wasn't drunk but slightly uninhibited enough to ask him if he'd mind staying with her that evening. "Are you asking me to stay the night, Dr. Grey?" he teased her, making sure that he wasn't misinterpreting her invitation.

Shaking her head at him she replied, "Yes, but don't think that you're going to give me another couple of drinks and that spooning is gonna turn into sex." She laughed, enjoying the fact that she was able to exert so much control over him.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Derek quipped sarcastically, laughing a little. "You ready to go then? It's getting late." Meredith nodded. He stood up from the table, helped Meredith get her coat on, and left Joe a very handsome tip.

"Thanks, Joe" Derek yelled, waving to the bartender who was now too busy for his own good.

"Bye, Joe. Thanks!" Meredith yelled afterward, smiling at him.

"Goodnight you two. Behave yourselves." He winked at Meredith, knowing he'd get the scoop later on.

As Derek drove, he held Meredith's hand in his, noticing how sleepy she was. "Mer, are you drunk?" he questioned, chuckling to himself.

"Wha-? No. No, I'm not drunk, Derek. I'm just…so…sleepy." Her eyes were closing and she was feeling relaxed with the combination of his touch and the motion of the car. He gave her a smile and squeezed her hand, remembering what it felt like to be an intern at that midway point…sheer exhaustion.

As they pulled into her driveway, Derek noticed that the lights were out and realized that they'd have to be quiet walking up the stairs so as not to wake Izzie or George. "Meredith, Mer—" he whispered, gently placing his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. Realizing that she was fast asleep, he walked over to her side of the car, opened the door, and lifted her out. Her head resting on his shoulder, he fumbled around and finally found her house keys in her coat pocket. He then proceeded to unlock the front door and carry her upstairs to her room. Laying her down gently in bed, he bent over and kissed her forehead, wondering if her invitation for him to stay was a result of the alcohol and not out of personal desire. He turned around to shut her light off when he heard her sleepy voice.

"Stay with me, Derek. Come to bed. Just…to sleep. To…sleep."

Derek grinned at her and fully clothed, just as she was, climbed in right beside her holding her to him tightly. He loved lying with her like his. Meredith had once told him that it made her feel protected and safe and he liked having that effect on her. If it were up to him, he'd see to it that no harm ever befell her. Stroking her hair and kissing her neck he whispered, "I love you, Mer. Goodnight." Within moments, he felt her completely relax in his arms. She didn't need to tell him that she loved him back. He already knew.

**Chapter 5** (4 weeks later)

"TRIPLE WORD SCORE!" Izzie screamed, throwing her hands up in the air and dancing around the living room. "I WIN!"

"No fair!" barked Cristina, royally pissed off that her superior California education didn't give her something better to beat Izzie with. No matter how hard she tried, she was never able to top Izzie in Scrabble and if there was one thing that Cristina didn't like, it was losing.

"Hey, hey, hey, Cristina. Calm down, it's just a game. Izzie won fair and square." Preston Burke teasingly scolded her, realizing that his sharp-witted girlfriend had issues when she wasn't the best at anything and everything that she tried.

"Thank **_God_**," Meredith agonized. "I was beginning to think that this game was gonna last forever. For some reason, my mind always goes blank and I can't think of anything better than 4-letter words." She laughed, standing up from the floor where they had all been sitting. "Can I get anyone anything from the kitchen? Some more wine?"

"Yeah, I'll take some more wine. After all, we've got inservice tomorrow which is just as good as a vacation day in my mind." George smiled, leaning back against the couch. Looking at the Scrabble board which Cristina was still glaring at he said, "God, Meredith, you're right…you're terrible at this game." He laughed, letting her know that no offense should be taken.

Scrunching her nose up and sticking her tongue out at him she said, "Last call. Anyone else for more wine?" A few more hands shot up around the room. "Forget it. I'm just bringing the bottle."

Tomorrow _was_ an inservice day for the interns. Basically that meant that they were relieved of patient duties for one whole day so that they could attend didactics and workshops that were supposed to broaden their education. From the interns' standpoint, it was basically a holiday with minimal participation and feigned interest in things like "How to Tie Sutures Like Your Masters" and "Trauma 101." Meredith grabbed another bottle of wine, the opener, and was heading back into the living room when she heard the doorbell ring. "I've got it," she announced to the group, dropping off the wine and hurrying to the front door in her bare feet.

Opening it, she saw Derek standing there with a huge grin on his face. "So, I heard that the party was at your place tonight."

Meredith gave him a huge smile and leaned over to kiss him. "I was hoping you'd show up. I know you had a busy day today." She gave Derek the once over, noting how handsome he looked in his jeans and charcoal gray roundneck sweater. Next to the green cashmere one, this was also a favorite of hers. As usual, he had not a hair out of place and Meredith decided that he had to be the best looking man that she'd ever laid eyes on.

"Of course I'd show up. I wouldn't miss being with you for the world." He took her into his arms and gave her a slow and deep kiss.

"Meredith," Izzie yelled running toward the door. "Who is—Oh." Blushing at the sight of Meredith and Derek all wrapped up in each other she stammered, "Ummm…hi Dr. Shepherd. Glad you could make it." She gave him a smile before turning around and walking back into the living room.

Meredith laughed. "Well, come on in. Sorry, but you missed out on a very rousing game of Scrabble. Izzie won…again…and Cristina nearly hit the roof. I'm glad that Burke was here to restrain her." She took him by the hand leading him through the door when he stopped her.

"Uh…Meredith?" Derek questioned.

"Yeah?" she responded, still all smiles from his arrival.

"I want to go in and say 'hi' to everyone but I was wondering if I could steal you away for a little while." He was unsure of what her response was going to be seeing that she was entertaining tonight, but he didn't think that anyone would mind.

"Sure. Is everything okay?" Meredith sounded concerned even though Derek didn't appear upset or overly anxious about anything.

"Yeah. Everything's great. It's just that, well, they broke ground on the house today and I wanted to drive you there to see it, Mer. It's amazing…they've already made a lot of progress."

Meredith smiled at him. "I'd love to see it. But let me change my clothes. I kind of look like a slob."

Derek laughed. "No you don't. It's not possible. You always look gorgeous and you _don't_ need to change your clothes. It's just gonna be you and I."

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Seriously," he deadpanned making somewhat of a mockery out of the interns' favorite phrase.

A few minutes later, after Derek explained their temporary absence to the group, he and Meredith were out on the open road. They hadn't been driving for very long when Meredith realized that they weren't driving toward Derek's trailer. "Wait, Derek, where are we going? This isn't the way to your place."

Derek looked over at her and smiled. "Just be patient, Mer. Gosh, you really don't like surprises much, do you?" He chuckled, squeezing her hand.

"I didn't know a surprise was involved. You said we were going to check out a big hole in the ground." She smiled back at him, amazed that he had this many tricks up his sleeve.

Derek laughed. "Well, you should know me by now. We're almost there anyway." Meredith could see the city lights as they were heading straight into downtown Seattle. Derek took a turn and soon they were on a portion of the highway that led them straight toward the pier, where the ferryboats docked.

Parking the car at the ferryboat station, Derek opened Meredith's door for her and taking her hand, he helped her out of the car smiling at the puzzled expression that she wore.

"Derek? What are we doing?" She was extremely confused. This had absolutely _nothing_ to do with a large hole in the ground.

"We're going for a ferryboat ride, Meredith" Derek said emphatically. "You know I have a thing for ferryboats and in all the time we've known each other, we've never ridden one together. So here we are, and we're riding a ferryboat together before we go see the large hole in the ground." He smiled at her expectantly, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her closely into him.

"Ummm, Der? The ferryboats don't run this late in the evening. They stop at 8:00."

"Not tonight, they don't" Derek said, winking at her.

He led her up to the dock and she realized that out of all of the ferryboats that had been put to rest for the night, there was one that appeared to still be up-and-running, however, there was no one around. Meredith had never heard the city so quiet save for the wind rustling gently in the trees and the sound of cars passing on the highway. Suddenly, a friendly older gentleman emerged from inside the ferryboat and greeted them. "Well good evening you two. Are you looking to take the last ferry out this evening?"

"Yes. Yes, we are" Derek said, offering the man a smile and two tickets.

"Well, you are very lucky because I was just about to depart for the evening." He smiled at the two of them and winked at Meredith. "Looks like you'll have the whole boat to yourselves tonight, so feel free to sit wherever you'd like."

"Thank you so much," Derek replied, leading a smiling Meredith by the hand onto the boat. They chose a seat outside near the very front. He sat sideways, letting Meredith lean into his chest before wrapping both of his arms around her in a giant bear hug. Meredith sighed, feeling completely content and noting how gorgeous the city looked all awash in lights. She loved being with Derek and this was perfect, absolutely perfect.

"This is beautiful, Derek. Thank you." She turned her head to look up at him and saw him smiling back down at her.

"I thought you'd like it. I know it's a little random, but I like to keep things interesting," he teased. As they pulled away from the harbor, he tightened his grip on her. "I've always wanted to do this with you and I was afraid that we'd never get the chance. But…better late than never, right?"

Meredith nodded, knowing that there was nowhere else she'd rather be and nothing else that she'd rather be doing.

When the ferryboat had made its journey about halfway to its destination on the opposite shore, Meredith heard the engine turn off and felt the boat come to a complete stop. "What just happened? Why did we stop?" She sat up suddenly, looking around for the captain and looking around for a reason as to why they had come to a complete standstill.

Smiling, Derek stood up and offered his hands to Meredith who took them hesitantly, still in total and utter confusion. He led her over to the railing of the ferryboat and taking a deep breath, he held her eyes with his and began talking. "Meredith, I thought about the right moment, the perfect moment but every time I'm with you is the right moment, the perfect moment. I thought about the fancy suit, the fancy dress, the two-dozen roses and the perfect dinner but I don't think that that's you _or_ me. I thought about the first night that I met you and how completely and totally in love with you I was from the second that I saw you. I thought about the short time that we spent together and then I thought about how I broke your heart." He paused to blink back tears, swallowing hard and pulling her in closer toward him. "Then I thought about what it would take to win your heart back and that's when I started to _believe_."

Tears had formed in the corners of his eyes as he spoke, realizing that Meredith had already beaten him to the punch with her own tears streaming down her cheeks. Reaching up to tenderly brush them off, he continued. "I _believe_ that I am the luckiest guy in the world to have such a wonderful woman who has helped me to realize who I am and what I want out of life. I _believe_ that I could be everything you need and that _you_ are everything that _I _need. I _believe_ that I could be a good father to our children and I _believe_ that I could grow old with you. I _believe_ that every tomorrow should start with you, Meredith, and most of all I _know _that I love you." He paused and took a deep breath before saying, "Meredith Grey, please say you'll marry me."

Derek withdrew the small aqua box from inside his coat pocket, opening it up and revealing the ring to Meredith. By this time she was crying and smiling, every emotion pouring forth from within her soul. "Derek!" she gasped as she gently touched the ring, as if this were all a dream and if she touched the ring she would awaken at home…alone. "Yes!" she found herself saying. "Yes, yes, yes, yes! Of course I'll marry you." Derek placed the ring on her finger, a perfect fit, and picked her up spinning her around. "I love you Derek Shepherd and I'd be honored to be your wife." Smiling, he placed his lips on hers for a very long and passionate kiss.

"Thank you, Meredith. I love you so much," he whispered to her, holding her closely to him.

Just then, the captain emerged with two glasses of champagne. "Here's for the happy couple," he said, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Congratulations, you two. You make a beautiful couple."

"Thank you," Meredith and Derek said in unison, clanging their glasses together. After they had each had a couple of sips and the boat had started back toward the shoreline, Meredith asked, "Derek, did you arrange all this, then? Did you keep the ferryboat open just for me?"

Derek laughed. "Meredith, you should know by now that there's _nothing_ I wouldn't do for you."

Meredith smiled, glancing down at the ring. "Derek, this is gorgeous. It's more beautiful than anything I could've ever imagined. It's perfect, absolutely perfect…all of this. The ring, the ferryboat, the proposal…you. It's all perfect and I _know_ that I'm the luckiest girl in the entire universe." She leaned over, giving him another kiss.

"Aren't you glad you didn't change your clothes?" Derek teased, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"Well, I have to say that I didn't expect a marriage proposal to happen when I was dressed in my ratty jeans and an old shirt." She laughed, looking down at her clothes.

"I happen to think that's when you look your best, Mer. It's so calming for me to see you in your worn-in jeans, favorite T-shirt, and barefoot. It's sexy and you look beautiful."

Meredith just smiled and shook her head. "You're crazy."

"Maybe I am, but it's true. You know, I've had the ring for quite some time now and had decided I was going to propose for even longer but it's a fact that I kept waiting for the right moment. I wanted everything to be perfect, everything to be special, but then I realized something. Everything already _is _perfect and special and there's no time like the present. I just want you to know how much I love you."

Wrapping her arms around his waist and tucking her head underneath his chin, Meredith whispered. "This _is _perfect, Derek. This _is_ special. I still feel like I'm dreaming…you know, one of those good dreams that you don't want to ever wake up from?"

"Yeah…I think I've had one or two of those before. I'm just glad that _this_ dream is the real thing." Derek laughed, nuzzling his nose against hers. As the ferryboat pulled onto shore, he stood up and offered Meredith his hand, helping her onto the dock. "Thank you so much," he yelled to the captain who was shutting down the boat for the night.

"No problem!" he yelled back, waving. "Glad to be of assistance. Good luck you two."

"Goodnight!" Meredith said waving back to him, a huge smile on her face.

After Derek helped her into the car and then climbed in and buckled his seatbelt, he gently took her left hand in his, studying the ring and noting how beautiful it looked on her hand. "It looks beautiful on you, Mer." He was grinning from ear-to-ear, still in disbelief that everything had gone so well and that Meredith had accepted his proposal.

"I love it, but Derek, this ring must've cost you a fortune." Meredith moved her hand around, inspecting it from every angle, enjoying the way that the city lights hit it making it sparkle and shine. He loved her appreciative and grateful nature and because of that, it made him want to spoil her even more.

"Meredith, after I left Manhattan I told myself that I wasn't going to dwell on material things like I had for so long. But there are some things in life that you shouldn't sell yourself short on and you had better believe that you're worth every cent of that ring…and then some. What good is making money if you don't have someone to share it with?" Looking deeply into her eyes, he leaned over and gently placed his lips on hers. He deepened the kiss and she responded, running her hands through his hair. Moving on to her neck, he placed soft, tiny kisses there, knowing that it would drive her wild.

"Derek…" Meredith whispered, breathlessly.

"Yeah?" he whispered back, bringing his hands up and running them through her hair, still nibbling on her neck.

"We…we…shouldn't…" She felt like she had completely lost her senses. It had been so long since she and Derek had been intimate like this but she didn't want the first time they made love in a long time to be in his car.

"What? We shouldn't do this in my car?" Derek smiled at her with a devilish grin before continuing. "Dr. Grey, I don't believe that that stopped you before."

Meredith smiled, nuzzling her nose against his. "Yeah, but tequila was involved and besides, you know what the outcome of that was."

Derek laughed before whispering, "Well, I don't think Bailey is around, so we're safe."

Meredith smiled, tipping his chin upward to meet hers. Staring into his eyes, the eyes that spoke volumes about his love for her, she ran her thumb across his lips before saying, "Take me home with you, Derek."

He looked at her tenderly and said, "Are you sure, Mer? I don't want to pressure you or make you think that just because I…"

"Derek," Meredith began. "I have never been more sure of anything in my life. You are the man that I want to marry, that I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I've known that since the day that I met you. So yes, I am sure."

Derek took her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "I love you Meredith, and yes, I'll take you home with me."

Meredith looked up at him. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that."

"Why is that?" Derek questioned.

"Well, because. I don't need my roommates hearing our 'extracurricular activities.' Meredith laughed, beaming up at Derek.

He laughed right along with her, placing one more kiss upon her lips before starting the car and heading out toward the highway, feeling like the luckiest man alive. He looked forward to holding her though the night and waking up with her in the morning sun, knowing that every tomorrow would start with her for the rest of his life.


End file.
